General Hyazinth von Strachwitz, The Panzer Count
General Hyazinth von Strachwitz, known as the Panzer Count, earned a reputation for boldness as a cavalry officer in WWI. Then, during WWII he obtained…
From The Tank Museum: Joe Ekins – One of the Most Famous WWII British Tank Gunners
Joe Ekins remains one of the most famous WWII British tank gunners for taking down three Tiger tanks with five shots, including that of Nazi…
The MG42: the Most Important Machine-Gun of WWII
Machine-guns were essential during WWII. Not until the final year was anything approaching a modern assault rifle seen on the battlefields. As a result, specialist…
This Gigantic Submarine Factory Couldn’t Even Be Destroyed By The 22,000 lb Grand Slam Bomb
Erich Friedrich Michael Lackner is considered to be one of the most influential engineers of the last century. He developed a revolutionary type of concrete…
A Kiwi Victory: Minesweepers Moa & Kiwi sink a Japanese Sub By Repeatedly Ramming It
During WWII the Japanese Navy changed its communication codes on a regular basis, this was a mammoth task as new codebooks had to be transferred…
VC: A Gurkha Calmly Stood Up In Open Sight & Killed A Sniper Pinning Down His Company Before Going On To Clear 5 Enemy Bunkers, Single-Handedly, All Whilst Under Heavy Fire
Bhanbhagta Gurung was awarded the Victoria Cross or VC, Britain’s highest military award although he had been demoted due to the incompetence of a senior…
Hitler’s Fortified Siegfried Line Was Massive And Included 22,000 Bunkers And Pillboxes
During the build-up to WWII, the German government commissioned a line of defenses all along its border with France. The enormous undertaking seemed a waste…
The Commando Raids On The Norwegian Coast That Tied Up 30,000 German Soldiers
In 1941, Britain raided Nazi-occupied Norway, making use of a new and still untested force – British Commandos. The aim was to boost British morale and…
Helped Save His Burning B-17 By Urinating On The Fire & Drove Off Waves of German Fighters
Maynard Harrison “Snuffy” Smith was such a screw-up, he joined the US Army to avoid jail. He earned the nickname, “Snuffy Smith,” because no one…
Like a Scene From the Great Escape: If PoWs Escaped They Had To Learn Fast To Blend In With The Locals
During WWII, many British servicemen became prisoners of the Germans. Some were captured during the fall of France and the retreat to Dunkirk. Others were…
MI9: The Secret British Organization Set Up in WWII to Help Prisoners Of War Escape
During WWII, thousands of combatants were taken prisoner by their opponents. To help Allied troops who had been captured and to get the best possible…
Started out as a Biplane: The Grumman F4F Wildcat One Of The Most Valuable American Fighter Planes Of WW2
Despite its slightly odd origins, the Grumman F4F Wildcat was one of the most valuable fighter planes in the US arsenal of WWII. The Biplane…